The colorful former residence of painter Robert Eugene Otto is a highly photographed structure in this island city. It was also the home of Robert the Doll, the infamous voodoo figurine that inspired Chucky from Child’s Play and which Otto kept by his side even as an adult. If that’s not hair-raising enough, a beautiful apparition has been seen descending the stairs in a wedding gown. The lady in white is believed to be Otto’s wife, Anna.

Rest your weary head like a colonial traveler at the country’s longest operating inn—though don’t expect too much sleep. Jerusha Howe, an unwed tenant who died in 1892, is still looking for love in rooms nine and ten. Men have felt her soft breath and awoken to find her spectral visage hovering inches from their faces.

This Big Easy mansion possesses a dark and troubled past. Original owner Alexander Harris died suddenly of illness in 1869, a mere 11 years after the home was built. His brother died less than 24 hours later. Alexander’s widow, Lizzie Thompson Harris, sold the land to the Maginnis family in 1889. Ten years later, John Henry Maginnis, a most influential and wealthy man, was struck dead by lightning. Despite its cursed history, the paranormal activity at the Magnolia Mansion leans toward the friendly. A spectral caretaker tucks guests in under the covers, strokes their cheeks, and sits at the foot of the bed. The ghosts of little ones at play may say “hello” or leave handprints in the bathroom and bounce on the mattresses.

During the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate snipers hid in the attic of this old inn, shooting down soldiers from a small window. When one took a bullet from a Union sharpshooter, his body was piled into a corner, and a new gunman took his place. The restless spirits of these dead soldiers haunt the inn to this day—as well as a Gettysburg nurse named Mary, who treated wounded fighters after the battle and now appears dressed in blue in the building’s lower level. In addition, current lodgers report eerie experiences in the Sara Black room. A young boy named Jeremy died in the adjacent room (now a bathroom), after being struck by a horse-drawn carriage. His father still pounds on the door, trying to get information from the physician on his dying son. Book a ghost hunt if you dare.

If you like your paranormal encounters to be of the third kind, head to Alamo, Nevada near Area 51. Little A’Le’Inn is a desert bar, restaurant, and motel that attracts UFO aficionados from around the world. Many have sensed an extraterrestrial energy and beams of light that somehow implant knowledge. Current owner Pat Travis-Laudenklos was a Vegas cook who came to the desert town more than 20 years ago to take over the restaurant (formerly Rachel Bar and Grill). The kitschy tourist stop attracts guests from galaxies near and far.

Given the opulent touches of this grand Southern mansion—its stained glass windows, 300-pound crystal chandelier, and 125-foot veranda—it’s no wonder eternal guests stick around. Visitors have had numerous run-ins with the paranormal, including ghostly children at play, the apparition of a slave girl named Chloe, a young girl with curls peering out from the game room window, and the sound of the first floor’s piano playing on its own.

Atchison is considered the most haunted town in Kansas. It was a natural stop for east coast settlers traveling to California. But judging from the heightened paranormal activity throughout Atchison, some never left. Inside Glick Mansion, the historic Governor’s home, a friendly force opens and closes doors, and clomps around the property.

In operation since the 1850s, the Excelsior House has played host to Oscar Wilde, Lady Bird Johnson, and Ulysses S. Grant, among others. But one famous guest was so freaked out by his stay, he split before the sun came up. Steven Spielberg tried to spend the night in room 215 (what is now known as the Jay Gould room) while shooting his film, The Sugarland Express. But when a poltergeist threw his briefcase back at him and the specter of a young boy appeared to ask what he wanted for breakfast, the filmmaker roused his entire crew and fled to a Holiday Inn. Interestingly enough, he made the film Poltergeist soon after.

This 1843 carriage house has seen its ups and downs. It required renovation after the Siege of Charleston, and was a seedy hourly establishment in the 1940s before becoming the bed and breakfast it is today. The owners of the dwelling have since documented the strange experiences reported by their guests—from sightings of a headless man and a tortured college student who took his life by jumping off the roof, to foreboding presences in various rooms.

Dating back to 1649, Three Chimneys Inn is the oldest house in the city of Durham, and was part of the settlement at Oyster River Falls. The original owner, Valentine Hill, built a sawmill on the banks of the property and prospered. Sadly, Hill’s daughter Hannah drowned in the Oyster River. Her spirit is mischievous and playful, often playing with the hair of the staff, levitating glasses, and locking locks.

Photos (in order): Mr. Jason Hayes / Flickr (CC); Foley Inn; Captain Grant’s; Jay Huggins / Flickr; Aliza Polkes / The Lineup; Wikimedia Commons; Pine Bush House; Lizm1118 / Flickr (CC); Massachusetts Office of Tourism / Flickr (CC); Magnolia Mansion; Wikimedia Commons; Travel Nevada / Flickr (CC); Andrew Nicolle / Flickr (CC); Kansas Tourism / Flickr (CC); Nico las Henderson / Flickr (CC); Battery Carriage House; Three Chimneys Inn